Ilankai Tamil Sangam
Association of Tamils of Sri Lanka in the USA
Published by Sangam.org
by Amnesty International, August 27, 2009
Dr S. Sivapalan is still detained without charge, and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. |
UPDATE TO URGENT ACTION
Further Information on UA 129/09 27 August 2009
Four doctors released, one still in danger
Four of the five doctors held under emergency regulations by the Sri Lankan government for providing "false information" to foreign journalists have been released on bail. However, Dr S. Sivapalan is still detained without charge, and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
Dr Veerakkathipillai Shanmugarajah, Dr Thurairaja Varatharaja, Dr Thangamuttu Sathyamoorthy and Dr Kathirvel Ilancheliyan Vallavan were released on bail on 24 August. Colombo chief magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi ordered their release on conditions that included reporting to the Vavuniya Police during the last week of every month. The four doctors are still in danger, because their case was so high-profile.
The doctors had been in custody since 15 May, when they were detained at the Omanthai crossing point, for providing "false information" and what the government said were pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) statements to international media outlets.
On 8 July the authorities held a press conference where the doctors, including Dr S. Sivapalan, retracted their earlier reports from the conflict zone. They said they had "exaggerated" the numbers of civilian casualties, as a result of pressure from the LTTE.
Amnesty International is concerned about how genuine these “confessions” were, given the doctors’ prolonged detention; their vulnerability to torture and other ill-treatment by Sri Lankan officials, who have a record of mistreatment of detainees and witnesses. There are contradictions between the doctors’ recent public statements and independently verified facts.
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